Under the helmet | Charles Leclerc

~Chapter 9~

We arrive at a crowded little restaurant which Max claims to be great, and the cameras won't spot us here as its so busy, although we may get a few fans here, as we are relatively close to the paddock still.

"So, Maeve, you joined f1 when Carlos left, why?" Max asks, starting a conversation.

"Well, its always been my dream to be in f1, and now that I'm here, I want to make world champion too, but I don't know how long I'm actually going to be here." I reply.

"Well, that makes sense, you are the type of driver who definitely has that potential. If you want a permanent seat, I my teammate Sergio is leaving this season, I can put in a good word to Christian if you want?" Max offers up a seat, as he is red bulls golden child, just like Charles is for ferrari.

"That sounds amazing, thank you Max, I don't know how much longer I'll be here, and you helping me will definitely be repaid." I say confidently knowing I keep promises.

"No problem, I owe you one, and I know ferrari don't really value you, as your just a temporary fill in for Carlos, who is also a good driver for them, even though you are scoring more points if you keep going this way." Max points out, implying ferrari might decide to keep me, although I wouldn't want to take Carlos' spot if he's planning on coming back.

"Yeah, although they've done their best to make me feel welcome and part of the team, and Fred seems fond of my results." I reply to Max, trying to stop him insulting ferrari too much, as I know the two teams are famously rivals.

"Well, just wait until you step foot into a better car, Maeve, ferrari are past their good era, red bull are the better cars now, and you deserve the best car you can get." Max points out, really dissing ferrari, which kind of made me a bit angry.

"Hey, I'm still a ferrari driver here." I laugh, trying to make him realise that he's sort of insulting me.

"Sorry, I get carried away." He laughs back, as an awkward silence arises.

I now had a huge decision to make in my head. Max was offering red bull to me, but I could be asked back to ferrari. I love ferrari and I believe they have another chance at being the best team on the grid, overtaking red bull. However, with the way red bull are going, it could take me to world champion and I wouldn't be taking Carlos' seat. Joining red bull seemed to have more pros than cons, but if I did, I would be fully going against myself, and what I believed in. I know I have to think on this, I'll definitely be seeking out advice from Rosa.

"Your friend Rosa, how'd you two meet? You both seem like opposites." Max starts.

"We met in school and we've been friends since, she's basically family, she always supported my f1 career, unlike the rest of my family who barely stay in contact with me, as they think I'm wasting my life away." I explain to Max, realising I may be over-spilling.

"Oh, that's so unfortunate. At least you got Rosa, she seems really nice, like you said she is shy though, very much unlike you." Max chuckles at the last bit.

"Yeah Rosa isn't really big on socialising, I wasn't to be fair until I got to f3, then I really came out of my shell and became more sociable, I was talking to all the drivers and going out when we got a free night and Rosa simply didn't understand. If she does go out to socialise, it's a celebration in itself." I explain, carrying the conversation.

"Yeah what's Rosa doing as a career? Anything bringing her out of her shell?" Max asks, curious and carrying the conversation.

"Definitely not, she is currently unemployed at the moment but she was a receptionist at a hotel, she quit because she wasn't getting enough pay since her manager was really rude to her." I explain to Max, not going into every detail.